The World Changed Beneath You

I write this for the stragglers, those stubborn hangers-on fighting the changing tide. You may have had your time at the top, where everything you did was celebrated, but times have changed; and sadly, you did not change with them.

I write this for those who never think they’re wrong, who blame everything on the people and world around them. Your ham-fisted, crass way of maneuvering through life has no place here anymore.

I write this for the has-beens who still think themselves vital to the public. Your waning influence is indicative not of a problem with society, but a problem within yourself. You’ll never grow if you don’t adjust your perspective.

I write this for the difficult artists who’ve been babied their entire career. Your petulant, inappropriate behavior was tolerated because of your “artistry,” but it wasn’t worth it — and your art, it fades from relevance as fast as it was created.

I write this for the old guard, the ones holding the line, clinging to the past with clenched fists and white knuckles. Your traditions have become anachronistic, and so have you. As the globe moves toward empathy, you can lament the loss of the old days.

I write this for the unwilling, those who refuse to accept a new reality. As things change and move in a better direction, you try in vain to resist, and in so doing, you doom yourself to darkness.

I write this for those clinging to power after a tectonic shift rendered them the enemy. You never earned power in the first place, and now that it’s all but drained, you’ve become increasingly disgruntled and cruel.

I write this for those who congregate in the darkest corners of the internet, trading in conspiracy theories and hatred. You’re woefully misinformed and misguided, and you believe in nothing.

I write this for those given to violence. You accomplish nothing save for hurting yourself and others, and you’ll only be remembered as a negative example, a thing to avoid, if at all.

I write this for the radically devout, those bible-toting hate mongers. You’ve willfully misinterpreted your holy book to fit your hate and ignorance. You too will feel the shift.

I write this for the men who still treat women as chattel or conquest. You’re dinosaurs, and you’ll soon find that your fossilized remains have been refashioned into coasters for the tables of strong women.

I write this for those whose conduct was never acceptable, and now find themselves lashing out at the changing climate. It’s a shame that you were tolerated at all, but now is your time to exit quietly.

Your world has changed beneath you, and you can either live among the rubble or start anew with an open heart. Either way, we’ve all moved on, and you can join us if you grow.